TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — There’s a hole in the ground on the 4300 block of South East Michigan Ave., that would have been the basement of a home never built. The foundation leaves residents concerned for children’s safety, afraid they might fall in and hurt themselves.

Even with metal fencing surrounding the border, children are still able to get into the foundation, according to Bill Workman who lives next to the property.

“We’ve seen youngsters out on those beams,” he says. “Even after they put this around it.”

The property has been like this since 2010, but the fence only went up a few months ago. And before that, one neighbor even took the liberty of putting up a makeshift fence around the property themselves.

But the situation is complicated. According to the City of Topeka, the previous owner of the property, Sumerian LLC, got caught up in the financial crash of 2010, halting the construction of the property. After numerous legal bouts, Sumerian LLC was able to sell the property off before it breached city ordinance.

While Topeka now considers the property “safe,” neighbors are still concerned.

“If one of them kids gets hurt here, they’re not only going to sue the city, but whoever owns that property.”

KSNT is digging deeper to track down the current owner of the property and to find out when they plan to either finish the house or clean up the mess.